Editorial: Glass recycling is a win-win proposition

Officials with the City of Prescott sharpened their pencils this week and are helping the environment.

On July 1 they will shift from years of not recycling glass products to a new agreement that will keep tons of bottles and jars from going into the trash for the foreseeable future.

The change? They heard residents' continuing complaints about the city's lack of such recycling efforts and/or they saw the numbers - that they could share in the profits of recycling.

"It's going to be a bottom line number; we expect to be paid for our recyclables," Prescott Field and Facilities Services Director Stephanie Miller told council members, adding that the decision would be based on "Who's willing to pay us, and how much? Which opportunity results in the best revenue for the City of Prescott?"

That will depend on how good the response is to the city's request for proposals (RFP) this summer.

In the meantime, the city is contracting with the City of Phoenix, rather than continuing with an operation in Flagstaff, which did not accept glass.

Miller made a presentation to the council in March about the possibility of reintroducing glass to the city's recycling program. This week, the councilors agreed to the switch.

This is good news considering the average American generates 82 pounds of glass each year, yet Americans recycle only about 26 percent of it, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Further, recycling glass into new containers produces 20 percent less air pollution and 50 percent less water pollution than producing new glass, all the while saving 68 percent of the energy.

Dollars and cents? Currently, the city pays about $38,000 per year for having its recyclables hauled to the Flagstaff site.

For a municipality that seems to constantly have budget debates and belt-tightening, this move comes none too soon.

Residents, watch for more information on this topic.

Council and city officials, kudos to you. Recycling is not only smart, it also could help the bottom line.